Rack mountable beverage bottle

ABSTRACT

This invention discloses a storage vessel, namely a wine bottle having a liquid volumetric capacity of from about 750 milliliters to about 1,500 milliliters and including an integral pedestal base configured to fit typical glassware fixtures employed in restaurants and taverns. The stem and base portions of the pedestal may be solid or hollow. A hollow pedestal may be advantageous to capture sediments settling out of the wine when the bottle is in an upright position. Pigments may be included in the glass construction to minimize photochemical reactions with the wine contained within the bottle.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This patent application claims priority from provisionalapplication serial No. 60/322,269 filed on Sep. 10, 2001 and entitled“Rack Mountable Beverage Bottle.”

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

[0002] Not Applicable.

REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX

[0003] Not Applicable.

FIELD OF INVENTION

[0004] The present invention relates generally to a rack mountablestorage vessel namely a wine bottle with an integral pedestal baseallows a bottle to be slidably rack-mounted.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

[0005] The prior art related to wine bottles is extensive and dates backin antiquity to amphora type containers, clay pitchers, goatskins, etc.all having as primary functionalities storing and transporting of thebeverage. Modernly, wine bottles serve additional functions by addingaesthetics and ambience to a commercial establishment such as arestaurant or bar. For example, it is known in the art that Italianrestaurants frequently use empty Chianti wine bottles as candlestickholders, which are placed on customer tables. The Chianti bottles add aromantic and cultural ambience to the restaurant thus improving thedining experience of their customers. In another example, Japanesecuisine, in particular sushi has become popular developing a demand forauthentically styled sushi bars complete with bottles of rice wine knownas sake. The sake bottles are generally placed in the field of view ofpatrons seated at a sushi bar and feature Japanese labels, whichgenerally include artistic Chinese characters associated with Asiancultures.

[0006] From the restaurateur's perspective, wine sales are high profitmargin items, thus the strategic placement of attractive wine bottlesplays a significant factor in the overall profitability of his or herestablishment. By placing the wine bottles in view of the customers,demand for these products is significantly increased. However, in manysituations, space is limited for exhibiting the beverages particularlybar and grill type establishments which limits demand to those itemsthat are easily viewed by the establishment's patrons.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

[0007] This invention provides a solution to the limited storage anddisplay space for wines in a retail establishment by integrating apedestal base into the design of a wine bottle. The pedestal base isconfigured such that the wine bottles may be placed in overhead racksnormally used for supporting glassware. In a bar type setting, the winebottles are visible to patrons sitting in and around the bar area thusgenerating demand for the beverage contained therein.

[0008] It is envisioned that other support structures may allow winebottles incorporating the invention to articulate from a substantiallyhorizontal position through a fully inverted position. It is furtherenvisioned that the bottles may contain beverages other than wine. Inthe preferred embodiment of the invention, the wine bottles areconstructed of glass and are sized to contain liquid volumes rangingfrom about three quarters of a liter to about one and one half liters.Other volumes are also envisioned for magnum, champagne and limitededition sized bottles. Tinting of the glass in various shades to protectthe contents of the bottles from photochemical reactions is alsoenvisioned.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0009]FIG. 1—This drawing depicts a frontal view of the inventionincluding a pedestal base member and a stem.

[0010]FIG. 2—This drawing depicts a prospective view of the inventionwhere a plurality of wine bottles may be slidably stored in an invertedposition on a fixture.

[0011]FIG. 3—This drawing depicts a side view of the invention where aplurality of wine bottles may be slidably stored in an inverted positionon a fixture.

[0012]FIG. 4—This drawing depicts a top view of the invention where aplurality of wine bottles may be stored in an inverted position on afixture.

[0013]FIG. 5—This drawing depicts a front view of the invention where awine bottle may be stored in an inverted position on a rack.

[0014]FIG. 6—This drawing depicts a rear view of the invention where awine bottle may be stored in an inverted position on a fixture.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0015] The preferred embodiment of this invention is a standard sizedwine bottle having a liquid volumetric capacity of about 750 millilitersand including an integral pedestal base configured to fit typicalglassware fixtures employed in restaurants and taverns. The stem andbase portions of the pedestal may be solid or hollow. A hollow pedestalmay be advantageous to capture sediments settling out of the wine whenthe bottle is in an upright position. Pigments may be included in theglass construction to minimize photochemical reactions with the winecontained within the bottle.

[0016] Referring to FIG. 1, the invention is shown in a frontal view.The bottle 10 comprises a pedestal base member 30 and stem member 40which are integral in construction with the bottle 10. The base member30 is shown as a flat disk configuration having a substantially circularappearance. Other embodiments including a tapered or concave surface arealso envisioned. The diameter of the base member approximates thediameter of the bottle. The stem portion of the pedestal should be sizedto ensure structural integrity. In the preferred embodiment, thediameter of the stem member 40 is about 30 to 70 percent of the diameterof the bottle and is substantially cylindrical in configuration. Thelength of the stem member 40 forming the gap between the bottle 10 andthe top of the base member 30 is sized to provide a loose fit in boththe horizontal and vertical planes when slidably installed on asupporting structure. This is to accommodate differences inmanufacturing designs in supporting structures and to provide easyaccess and egress of the bottle 10 from a supporting structure.

[0017] Referring to FIG. 2, the invention is shown in a perspective viewwhere pluralities of wine bottles are supported by a typical glasswarestructure. The bottles 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D incorporating this inventionare slidably installed and supported by the fixture 20 and associatedside support rails 20A, 20B. The underside of the base of the pedestals30A, 30B, 30C, 30D supports the weight of the bottle 10A, 10B, 10C, 10Dand rests on top of the fixture side support rails 20A, 20B. The gapbetween the bottle 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D and the pedestal includes a stem40, which provides continuity between the bottle 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D andthe base of the pedestal 30A, 30B, 30C, 30D.

[0018] Referring to FIG. 3, the invention is shown in a side view wherea plurality of wine bottles 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D are slidably stored in aninverted position on a fixture 20. The bases 30A, 30B, 30C, 30D of thepedestals support the bottles 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D that rests on thefixture support rails 20B. The stem portions of the pedestals 40A, 40B,40C, 40D provides continuity between the actual bottles 10A, 10B, 10C,10D and the bases of the pedestals 30A, 30B, 30C, 30D.

[0019] Referring to FIG. 4, the invention is shown in a top view where aplurality of wine bottles 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D are stored in an invertedposition on the fixture 20. The bases of the pedestals 30A, 30B, 30C,30D are shown supported by the fixture's side support rails 20A, 20B.

[0020] Referring to FIG. 5, the invention is shown in a frontal viewwhere the wine bottle 10A is stored in an inverted position on thefixture 20. The base 30A of the pedestal is supported longitudinally ontwo sides by the fixture support rails 20A, 20B. The stem 40A of thepedestal is substantially centered between the fixture support rails20A, 20B.

[0021] Referring to FIG. 6, the invention is shown in a rear view of theinvention where a wine bottle 10A is stored in an inverted position onthe fixture 20. As previously described above, the base 30A of thepedestal is supported longitudinally on two sides by the fixture supportrails 20A, 20B. The stem 40A of the pedestal is substantially centeredbetween the fixture support rails 20A, 20B. The bottle 10A is preventedfrom sliding of the end of the fixture 20 by the stops incorporated intothe fixture support rails 20A, 20B.

[0022] The foregoing described embodiments of the invention are providedas illustrations and descriptions. They are not intended to limit theinvention to precise form described. In particular, it is contemplatedthat functional implementation of the invention described herein may beimplemented equivalently in glass or plastic having varying pigmentationfor tinting and manufactured in various sizes. Other variations andembodiments are possible in light of above teachings, and it is notintended that this Detailed Description limit the scope of invention.

We claim:
 1. A rack mountable beverage bottle for maintaining anddisplaying beverages comprising: a beverage bottle coupled to one end ofa stem member and a pedestal base member coupled to an opposite end ofsaid stem member, wherein said pedestal base member is adapted for,maintaining said beverage bottle in a substantially inverted positionwhen slidably mounted on a rack; or maintaining said beverage bottle ina substantially upright position when placed on a substantiallyhorizontal surface.
 2. The rack mountable beverage bottle according toclaim 1, wherein said beverage bottle is wine bottle.
 3. The rackmountable beverage bottle according to claim 1, wherein said beveragebottle is comprised of a material selected from the group of:transparent glass, tinted glass, or plastic.
 4. The rack mountablebeverage bottle according to claim 1, wherein said pedestal base memberincludes an external indentation for handling.
 5. The rack mountablebeverage bottle according to claim 1, wherein said stem member includesan internal volume contiguous with an interior storage volume of saidbeverage bottle for trapping sediment.
 6. The rack mountable beveragebottle according to claim 1, wherein said generally cylindrical contourof said stem member includes a tapered or concave contour.
 7. The rackmountable beverage bottle according to claim 1, wherein said pedestalmember is supported longitudinally on two sides by a rack.
 8. The rackmountable beverage bottle according to claim 1, wherein a plurality ofsaid beverage bottles are maintained on a rack for display.
 9. The rackmountable beverage bottle according to claim 8, wherein said rack isinstalled inside a commercial establishment.
 10. A rack mountablebeverage bottle for maintaining and displaying beverages comprising: abeverage bottle coupled to one end of a stem member and a pedestal basemember coupled to an opposite end of said stem member, said pedestalbase member having an upper surface, a lower surface and a generallydisk-like contour; said upper surface coupled to said opposite end ofsaid stem member and adapted for maintaining said beverage bottle in asubstantially inverted position when slidably mounted on a rack, saidlower surface adapted to maintain said beverage bottle in asubstantially upright position when placed on a substantially horizontalsurface; said disk-like contour having a diameter approximating that ofsaid beverage bottle; and said stem member having a generallycylindrical contour, a diameter of about 30 to 70 percent of that ofsaid beverage bottle and sized to provide a loose fit in both thehorizontal and vertical planes when slidably mounted on a rack, whereinsaid stem member is coupled at said one end to said beverage bottle andsaid opposite end to said base member along an approximate verticalcenterline extending through said beverage bottle, said stem member andsaid base member.
 11. The rack mountable beverage bottle according toclaim 7, wherein said beverage bottle is wine bottle.
 12. The rackmountable beverage bottle according to claim 7, wherein said beveragebottle is comprised of a material selected from the group of:transparent glass, tinted glass, or plastic.
 13. The rack mountablebeverage bottle according to claim 7, wherein said pedestal base memberincludes an external indentation for handling.
 14. The rack mountablebeverage bottle according to claim 7, wherein said stem member includesan internal volume contiguous with an interior storage volume of saidbeverage bottle for trapping sediment.
 15. The rack mountable beveragebottle according to claim 7, wherein said generally cylindrical contourof said stem member includes a tapered or concave contour.
 16. The rackmountable beverage bottle according to claim 7, wherein said pedestalmember is supported longitudinally on two sides by a rack.
 17. The rackmountable beverage bottle according to claim 7, wherein a plurality ofsaid beverage bottles are maintained on a rack for display.
 18. The rackmountable beverage bottle according to claim 17, wherein said rack isinstalled inside a commercial establishment.
 19. A method formaintaining and displaying a rack mountable beverage bottle comprisingthe steps of: a. Installing a rack adapted for receiving a rackmountable beverage bottle inside a commercial establishment, b.orienting a pedestal member associated with a rack mountable beveragebottle between an inner and outer surface of a rack, c. slidablymounting said beverage bottle on said rack, such that said pedestalmember is supported by said inner surface of said rack.
 20. The methodfor maintaining and displaying a rack mountable beverage bottleaccording to claim 19 further including the step of identifying astrategic location inside said commercial establishment beforeperforming step 19.a.